Total pages in book: 62
Estimated words: 58051 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 290(@200wpm)___ 232(@250wpm)___ 194(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 58051 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 290(@200wpm)___ 232(@250wpm)___ 194(@300wpm)
“You let me spoil you however I want, and I will be your ally against the evil Momster.” She winked conspiratorily.
“Cool. I’m in,” Everest said with a laugh.
“Great, here less than an hour, and already I’m outnumbered in my own home.” I was happy though, Everest needed more allies in his life, even if it worked against me some of the time. He needed all the love and support he could get.
There was still at least a few hours of daylight remaining when we arrived back at the farm, and Ev took off, probably needing a break from Mom’s energy and constant stream of words. “I’m going to check on the animals,” he said and practically ran away.
“He’s a good boy,” Mom said with a wistful sigh.
“He is,” I agreed and grabbed the suitcases from the truck. “Let’s put these inside and I’ll give you a tour before it gets dark.”
“That sounds lovely. I can’t wait to see what you’ve done with the place.”
I smiled and took one of the suitcases inside while Mom followed behind me. “It’s not like when you lived here, but I’m slowly making it my own.”
“The trick isn’t to make it look like it used to Bella, the trick is to make it yours. And Everest’s. And let’s not forget I had a husband and five kids to help around here.”
I nodded and hopped back inside the truck, waiting for Mom to do the same. “I know that I should look into hiring a few farmhands, and I will, but right now I can’t risk having strangers around, not when I might have social workers crawling around the property.”
“Have you heard anything yet?”
“No,” I sighed. “Ian said to go about my life as usual until there’s a reason not to, so that’s what I’m doing.”
“What’s this?”
I smiled at the dark red buildings and hopped from the truck. “These are my vertical farms. Come on.” I showed her around each of the buildings and explained how it all worked. “They yield more produce, and look at this tomato.”
“It’s so perfect,” she sighed. “No animals. No gnawing.”
“Exactly. Nina, the chef at Dark Horse comes by regularly to get the freshest produce possible. It’s good money too.” Next I showed off the meadow, which truthfully, wasn’t much to look at.
“And what is this? Are you also selling wildflowers?”
I laughed. “No. Remember Carlotta Montgomery?”
She nodded. “The southern belle who looked and dressed like a beauty queen?”
“One and the same. She stopped by and asked about using the meadow for photos for her event planning business. Turns out there’s a market for great photo locations. The money is good and the upkeep is minimal, and best of all, Everest volunteered to handle scheduling and billing for this.”
“Really?”
“Yep, surprised me too. But he did get a new phone out of it, so I guess it worked out for us both.”
Mom smiled. “Honey, I am so proud of you. This place is wonderful, and I never would have thought to monetize this space.”
“I didn’t either, I just didn’t say no when the opportunity presented itself.” I wrapped an arm around her and pulled out my phone. “Come on, let’s capture the moment. Smile.”
“Bella, I just want you to know how glad I am that you found your way back here. I always knew you would turn this place into something special.”
“You know what, Mom? I’m glad too. I hadn’t planned on ever coming back, but the time was right, for me and for Everest.”
“And now that you’re dating a gorgeous rock star, I’m sure you’re not all that down on Carson Creek.” She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively and bumped against me. “Right?”
“Mom, never do that again. Please. And this thing with Derek, it’s not what you think.” I sucked in a deep breath and released it slowly until my heart stopped pounding in my chest, and then I told her the truth about his public relations problem, the retainer fee and everything in between. “But you can’t tell anyone, not even Dad. Everest suspects, but he hasn’t asked me directly, and I’m not offering details.”
Mom nodded, still wearing a knowing smile as she mimicked zipping her lips. “I’ll keep this to myself, but I’ve seen the photos Bella, the barbecue joint, dancing, and the bowling alley, and the only two people being fooled right now are you and Derek.”
“Mom,” I groaned and rolled my eyes. “Don’t. Please.”
“What? I’m just saying that you two might be in denial, but I say it’s just a matter of time before you and he are bumping uglies.”
“Mom, stop!”
She laughed. “Is that not what the kids are saying these days?”
“I really hope not,” I grimaced, and smacked a hand over my eyes.
“So what’s wrong with Derek? He’s gorgeous and sexy, rich and famous. You have objections to any of that when it comes to a partner?”